


the two-body problem

by screechfox



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Mind Meld, POV Basira Hussain, Season/Series 04, Sharing a Body
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-10-14 20:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screechfox/pseuds/screechfox
Summary: Jon's connection to the Eye — and to Elias — takes an unexpected direction.





	the two-body problem

**Author's Note:**

> never let it be said that i do not love a good old-fashioned mind meld situation. inspired by RavenXavier's ideas both on [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenXavier) and on [tumblr](http://somuchbetterthanthat.tumblr.com)!

Daisy is the first to notice that something’s changed, but Basira is the one to figure out what’s actually happened. One evening, once Jon has finished recording the day’s statement, they go to his office and stand side-by-side in the doorway.

Jon glances up eventually. For a moment, he looks confused — brow furrowed and mouth downturned. It’s a familiar expression, very characteristic to Jon’s usual demeanour. The expression of cool amusement that crosses his face afterwards is nothing like Jon at all.

“Well then,” he says, words crisp and clear like creeping frost. “What can I do for you?”

“How long has this been going on for?” Basira demands, her lips curling with anger.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Even his _ posture _ is wrong, straight-backed and chin raised with the easy perfection of years of practice.

Daisy is shaking with anger like Basira hasn’t seen in— a long time. Basira has to force herself to keep eyes front and focus on controlling the situation at hand.

“Cut the crap, Elias,” she says. The smirk on Jon’s face sharpens into a self-satisfied grin, all teeth and no heart. The cruelty of it is alien — she’s seen Jon focused, and paranoid, and even pretending kindness, but this total absence of humanity doesn’t fit the tired lines of his face.

“Hm, very well. Since you asked so _ nicely_.” 

Daisy makes a low sound in her throat, and for a moment Basira thinks she’s about to lunge at Jon— at Elias. Elias tilts Jon’s head, eyebrows raising like he’s daring Daisy to do it.

“How long has this been going on for?” Basira demands again, crossing her arms.

“Well, that depends on how exactly you define _ this_.” Elias pauses, sighs, and then the voice coming from Jon’s mouth is familiar in its tiredness. “It’s been— about a week since we started to…” Words are apparently inadequate: he gestures vaguely at his body.

“You didn’t tell us?” Daisy asks, voice quiet. Her voice has filled with hurt, and her lips are pressed together in a thin, unhappy line. She takes a shaky step forward.

“It’s been a lot to deal with,” he snaps defensively, Jon’s weary irritation wiping any trace of Elias from his face. “And I didn’t know if— if it would get worse.”

“That’s why you should have told us,” Basira says. “In case it got worse.”

“Consider it a challenge,” Elias drawls, looking directly at Basira. They’re Jon’s eyes, that unremarkable muddy brown, but there’s a tinge of frost to the edges of his irises. Jon’s stare is often intense, but it never holds this awful combination of _ seeing _ and _ knowing _ — and it’s never directed at her. “A test of your deductive capabilities.”

“And?”

“Congratulations, _ detective_. You passed.” The feeling of being watched only intensifies, even though Elias doesn’t move a single muscle in Jon’s body. Basira gets the feeling that passing was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do.

“What now?” Basira asks at last.

Elias smiles again, curving Jon’s lips with insufferable smugness.

“Pay me a visit in person, Basira. I’m sure we can make it enlightening.” Basira doesn’t need to be a genius to know that he means himself and Jon both. So the connection goes both ways, then. Basira shares a look with Daisy, and either Jon or Elias sighs.

“Shit,” he mutters, shoulders sagging. That’ll be Jon, then.

Jon reaches to the side of his desk and turns off a tape recorder. Basira hadn’t even realised it was running. There’s a tense silence for a few moments, but the recorder doesn’t turn back on.

“Shit,” Jon says again, looking between Basira and Daisy like he expects one of them to punch him and he expects to thoroughly deserve it. 

(They can’t tell Melanie about this, Basira realises. Someone would end up dead.) 

“How did this happen?” Basira asks, although the concept of punching him is tempting.

Jon doesn’t answer, but there’s a guilty look to his face that makes her think he had more agency in this than he’d like to admit. Of course he did. She’s never forgotten that whatever doubts he expresses, Jon has already given himself to the Eye. He can’t be trusted to make rational decisions anymore — his will is subject to something else. There isn’t even any point in lecturing him about it. He’s too far gone, and what’s done is done.

“If something like this happens again, you tell us,” Basira says instead.

“It’s fine,” Jon says, then laughs under his breath. “Well, it’s _ not _ fine. But it’s… I don’t know. It feels _ right_, somehow, to let the lines blur? Like it’s the most natural thing there is.”

“You know that’s a bad sign, don’t you?” Daisy’s tone is wry, and if the humour is an obvious affectation, Basira doesn’t plan to comment on it. 

“Yes,” Jon agrees. “It is.”

**Author's Note:**

> as always, you can find me at [screechfoxes](https://screechfoxes.tumblr.com) on tumblr! have a nice day!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] the two-body problem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21195452) by [GoLBPodfics (GodOfLaundryBaskets)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GodOfLaundryBaskets/pseuds/GoLBPodfics)


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